New train link for Northern Greece

The completion of a railway line between the Greek towns of Polykastro and Eidomeni will bring a faster travel service within the reach of almost 20 000 people.

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Finalisation of this new section of the larger Thessaloniki to Eidomeni train line will complete a nine-year project to improve public transport speeds and access for the region. Work will help to ensure that local railway routes are in line with EU standards.

Short travel times and long-term benefits

The Polykastro to Eidomeni train line will cross 20.627 kilometres to the north of the historic Greek city of Thessaloniki. It will be built to bypass existing road networks and avoid creating additional travel congestion. Trains are expected to reach speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour, to the benefit of approximately 19 502 people living and working in the neighbouring municipalities of Axioupolis and Polykastro itself.

This railway is expected to bring 108 new long-term jobs to the region. These come in addition to 1010 temporary jobs created during construction of the train line.

Second stage of a modern transport project

Work on the railway link began in 2006 and is taking place in two stages. It is scheduled to end in 2015. This is part of the trans-European transport network known as the TEN-T programme.

The first stage of work involved the construction of a railway line along almost half of the route. The second and final stage is now underway. This will see work completed along the rest of the train line, along with the creation of necessary supporting infrastructure. This additional work will include upgrading the station at Eidomeni, as well as building a new railway station in Polykastro and a new stop along the line. It will also involve the development of traffic control and other communication needs along the whole route, and of supporting studies and analyses.

Total and EU funding

The project "Thessaloniki – Eidomeni Railway variant at the section Polycastro-Eidomeni (second phase)" has a total budget of EUR 73 600 000, with the EU's European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 53 818 528 for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.